Method of decorating a hat



Feb. 28, 1956 J. REIDER 2,735,633

METHOD OF DECORATING A HAT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1951 I 4 INVENTOR.

MALCOLM J. RE/DER mmi/Am ATTORNEYS.

FIG.

Feb. 28, 1956 M. J. REIDER METHOD OF DECORATING A HAT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 3, 1951 FIG. 2.

HIIHI INVENTOR. MALCOLM JT RE/DER BY @mwm ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 28, 1956 M. J. REIDER METHOD OF DECORATING A HAT med Nov. :5, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3.

FIG. .5.

INVENTOR. MALCOLM J RE/DER FIG. 6.

ATTORNEYS.

Unite rates Patent METHOD OF DECORATING A HAT Malcolm J. Reider, Shiliington, Pa., assignor to Gen. Bollman & Co., Inc., Adamstown, Pa., a corporatio of Pennsylvania Application November 3, 1951, Serial No. 254,77 7

2 Claims. (Cl. 8-150) This invention relates to a method of decorating hats. More particularly, it relates to a method of placing a continuous uniform design on a hat by printing means.

Hat bodies have, of course, heretofore carried designs thereon. However, the number of difliculties involved are supported by the fact that very few multi-coiored design hats are ever seen. In the first place, it has heretofore been very difiicult to achieve uniformity of design when utilizing a plurality of colors, for example, where a checkered design is desired. Painstaking handwork has, generally speaking, been the sole way of even approaching satisfactory results. Such methods not only fail to achieve complete uniformity, but obviously are prohibitiveiy expensive for all but makers of expensive custommade hat.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method whereby hat bodies can be decorated with continuous multi-colored designs.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method whereby hat bodiesv can be provided with continuous multi-colored designs of great uniformity.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a method whereby hat bodies can be provided with continuous uniform multi-colored designs at a mass production rate of speed and at low cost.

These and other objects of this'invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus suitable for carrying out the method in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section partly broken away of the apparatus of Figure 1, showing particularly the female me d mem Figure 4 is a plan view of the strips used to form the lining in the mold member of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a putty cutting mold suitable for use with the method of this invention.

Figure 6 is a side perspective view of a hat body after it has been decorated in accordance with the method of this invention.

Broadly speaking, the method in accordance with this invention comprises lining the female portion of a hat mold with a lining of printing putty carrying one or more dyes, distributed through the lining so as to form a continuous uniform design. The hat body is then wet with water and placed in the mold. A male mold member is then utilized to force the hat body against the putty lining for a suflicient time to effect a transfer of dye from the lining to the hat body, a period ranging from about six seconds to about five minutes, depending upon the amount of water present in the hat body and the temperature to which the hat has been preheated, if at all.

Upon completion of the transfer period, the hatis removed and steamed for a sufficient length of time to fix the dyestutf on the fibers. The hat may, if desired, be dried before steaming.

More specifically, the method in accordance with this invention is applicable to hat bodies of, for example, felt of wool or fur or admixtures of wool and fur felt. Before placing the hat body in the mold, it is entirely soaked in water and then squeezed free of excess water just before I being placed in the mold. Preferably, the hat body will be in anacid condition, but this is not necessary. This .can readily be accomplished, for example, by dipping in a bath of dilute hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. If it is desired to preheat the hat body, the acid bath can be at any selected elevated temperature. Preheating of the hat body reduces the length of time required for a satisfactory transfer of dyestuif during the printing step.

The printing putty may, for example, be one containing a corn dextrine as the essential bodying ingredient. Such a putty, which has been found to be satisfactory, is disclosed in Patent 2,404,769, dated July 30, 1946.

Uniformity of design is achieved by using a putty cutting mold having the outlines of a desired design which is to .be repeated, the borders of the cutting mold defining a segment, a plurality of which when laid in the hat mold will form a continuous lining for the hat mold. The segments are then placed ina hat mold.

To eliminate any slight gaps between segments and to form the lining into a continuous sheet, the lining of putty is then subjected to heating to promote plastic flow. Pressure is then exerted on the face of the lining to cause vtheputty to flow, thus closing any gaps between segments.

Color Color Index Dye . Alizarine Cyanine Green.

Brilliant Milling Green B. Naphtalin Green V.

Wool Fast Blue.

Sulphon Acid Blue 13. Sirlphon Cyanine G. Cloth Scarlet G.

Fast; Red A.

' Polar Red.

Polar Yellow.

Azo Flavine RS.

Fast Light Yellow. Victoria Violet 4B8. Ncrol 2B.

Formyl Violet; S413. Sulphon Oyanine Black B.

Green Blue Red

Yellow 53 Violet 304 Black This method will be clarified by a description of a suitable apparatus for carrying out the method, together with a description of the use of this apparatus, in corn junction with the method described above.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, apparatus 2, suitable for use in connection with carrying out the method in accordance with this invention, has asupport 4 which carries a track 6. A carriage 8 has wheels 10 which are adapted to run in track 6. Stop members 12 and 14 limit the movement of carriage 8.

Carriage 8 has mounted thereon a female mold member 16. A handle 18 is secured to mold member 16 to facilitate the movement of carriage 8 in track 6. A lining 19 of, for example, aluminum is secured within mold member 16.

As shown clearly in Figure 3, the inside of lining 19 conforms to the shape of the hat body to be decorated. The mold member 16 can be made of any suitable material, such as, for example, aluminum. A ring 20 is secured 3 on top of the upper edge of liner 19. Ring 20, in turn, has a bead 22 secured thereto.

Support 4 carries a pair of vertical standards 24. A crosshead 26 is secured to the upper ends of the standards 24 and has pivotally secured thereto a pair of depending arms 28 and 30. Arm 23 is pivotally secured to a link 32 which is, in turn, pivotally secured to mold sealing member 34. Arm 30 is pivotally secured to bell crank lever 36, which is, in turn, pivotally secured to mold sealing member 34.

A counterbalance weight 38 is operatively connected to the mold sealing member 34 by means of a cable 40 which is secured to mold sealing members 34 and 42 and passes over pulleys 44 and 46. Pulleys 44 and 46 are mounted on crosshead 26 by means of bracket 48.

Mold sealing member 34 is mounted for vertical sliding on standards 24 and has a vertical opening 50 therethrough. Opening 50 is connected to a pipe 52 which, in turn, is connected to a flexible hose 54, which, in turn, is connected to an air pressure line 56.

As exemplary of the method in accordance with this invention, strips 60 and 62 (see Figure 4) are formed of putty containing dyes. The stippled portions labelled 64 are formed of putty containing scarlet dye and made in accordance with the teaching of Example 1 of Patent 2,404,769, referred to above. The remaining portion 66 of the strips 60 and 62 are formed of putty containing blue dye and are made in accordance with the teaching of Example 3 of Patent 2,404,769, referred to above.

The two batches of putty, containingdifferent colored dyes, were first made and then the requisite amounts of putties to form the design were taken from the batches in the desired shape by filling putty cutting mold 67 (see Figure Strips 60 and 62 are thus formed so that when they are laid in liner 19, the edges of adjacent strips will meet. When all of the strips have been formed, they are laid within liner 19 and thus make a continuous uniform design.

The segments of the strips are initially held together by a water-soluble adhesive such as, for example, dextrin and water or simply water itself to soften up the adjoining edges. Before being placed in the liner 19, the strips are warmed by a hot-plate to make them bendable and slightly plastic. Preferably, the hot-plate is maintained at from 100 F. to 150 F.

After the strips have been placed in the liner 19, it is,

in turn, placed within female mold member 16. Ring admitted through opening 50, thus forcing sheet 70 downwardly against the putty strips and 62 which, having been heated on the hot-plate, are slightly plastic.

The pressure exerted by sheet causes sufficient flow of putty to close all gaps between the individual putty segments and thus form a continuous lining.

Mold sealing member 34 is now raised and sheet 70 removed. A hat body of wool felt, which has been entirely soaked in water acidulated to a pH of 2.5 by sulfuric acid is squeezed to remove excess water and is placed within mold member 16 against the putty lining formed by strips 60 and 62. Sheet 70 is then replaced so as to lie against the interior of the hat body, rubber gasket 72 being between sheet 70 and bead 22.

Mold sealing member 34 is again lowered until gasket 74 comes in contact with sheet 7 0. Air pressure is then admitted through opening 50, forcing sheet 70 downwardly against the hat body 75. This, in turn, forces the hat body against the putty lining.

After allowing 30 seconds for the dye to transfer from the putty lining to a hat body, a period which normally ranges from about six seconds to about five minutes, depending upon the amount of water present in the hat and the temperature to which the hat has been preheated, the air pressure is released, the mold sealing members raised and the hat is removed. After removal, the hat body is then cured or aged by steaming for 45 minutes at atmospheric pressure to fix the dyestufi on the fiber.

Generally, steaming for a period of from three minutes up to sixty minutes is suflicient. Depending upon convenience, the hat may or may not be dried before steaming, as preferred. The steam at atmospheric pressure may be used or steaming may be conducted in a suitable container at an elevated pressure.

It will be appreciated that numerous variants of the above procedure may be utilized. Thus, for example, the hat body may be initially dyed a desired color and then printed as described above to achieve a multi-colored pattern.

It should, of course, be understood that it is not desired to be limited except as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of applying a uniform repeat decoration on a felt hat body which comprises lining a female mold member with a lining, said lining being made by forming segments of printing putty containing a dye distributed therethrough to form a design, said segments being formed so that when they are laid within the mold they will form a continuous lining, laying the thus formed segments in the mold to form a continuous lining, impregnating the hat body with water, placing the thus "impregnated hat body in the mold in substantially the shape of the mold, positioning a resilient membrane substantially against the exposed inner surface of the hat body, applying fluid pressure uniformly to the membrane, whereby pressure is applied substantially normally to -the hat body to force the hat body against the lining to elfect a transfer of the dye from the putty lining and fixing the dye to the felt fibers.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the dye is fixed to the feltfibers by steaming.

.. l References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,404,769 Amick July 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 638,386 France May 23, 1928 

1. THE METHOD OF APPLYING A UNIFORM REPEAT DECORATION ON A FELT HAT BODY WHICH COMPRISES LINING A FEMALE MOLD MEMBER WITH A PRINTING PUTTY CONTAINING A DYE DISFORMING SEGMENTS OF PRINTING PUTTY CONTAINING A DYE DISTRIBUTED THERETHROUGH TO FORM A DESIGN, SAID SEGMENTS BEING FORMED SO THAT WHEN THEY ARE LAID WITHIN THE MOLD THEY WILL FORM A CONTINUOUS LINING, LAYING THE THUS FORMED SEGMENTS IN THE MOLD TO FORM A CONTINUOUS LINING, IMPREGNATING THE HAT BODY IN TH EMOLD IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE IMPREGNATED HAT BODY IN THE MOLD IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SHAPE OF THE MOLD, POSITIONING A RESILIENT MEMBRANE SUB- 